Draft-gear.



J. P; GOURSON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1910.

Patented M1225, 1911.

J'QHN 1E. COUILSON, 01? PITCAIRN, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAFT GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented i lipr. 7:35. Milli.

Application filed November 21, 1910. Serial No. 593,459.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jon): l Cornsox, a citizen of the United States. residing at, Pitcairn, in the county ct i illeglu-ny and State of ll einisylvania, have invented certain new and useful ln'i 'irovemenls in l mit-Gears. of which the .iollowiin is a specification.

My invention consists ot' an improvement in friction draft gears for railway cars ctr, anddias for l ol'x iect o provide :1 Friction f ten par nd hi h rllleienrv. rigging: and releasing piaiities of interengaging nirnihers having inner contacting wedging tacos and outer friction faces with a, surrounding friction cylinder, in combination with the usual draw liar and yoke, mounted and adapted to operate in the manner hereinai'ter more fully set Forth.

In the drawings: Figure 1 a central vertical sectionalview ot' the complete draftv gear assembled, the parts being sho rn in extended position. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line ll. Ill. of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of one of the outer wedge faced friction shoes. Fig. 4 is a similar View of one of the inner wedge faced friction shoes. Fig. 5 is a View in elevation of the outer wedge faced friction shoes showing them in operative position within the "friction cyliirider.

In the drawings, represents the draw bar of a coupler fixedly connected with the yoke 3 by transverse rivets i in the manner customary in this art, said yoke embracing the casing or cyliiuler 5 at top and hottom as shown, the yoke and casing; being}; located between the center sills ll. (3. .i. hearing lilock or follower l" is set a tg ainst the rear end of cylinder 5 against the outer end oi which block hears the round d' end l of yoke 3 with an interposed filling fock ll proton ahly secured to the end of the yoke.

are the front. stops shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, extending; inwardly at each side from the center sills 6 which sustain the pulling effect of the draft 530a and ii'npart it to said sills, while similar rca' stops 10 act to receive and impart hufliinr strains in the same manner. The frictim'ml resistance for opposing thohutling and pulling strains is developed within the cylinder .i hy moans of sets of inter-engaging trout; and rear wedge blocks 11 and 12 respectively. The

tronfl'wedgo blocks. which in the construction shown are two in nnniher, are provided with flal'iges or heads 13 which extend forw a rd l Y plate 14. which plate in turn engages the rear of draw bar 2 within the yoke 3.

The body portion of block. .11 is of sea;- nicntal shapc in cross seetion. providing; a plurality of pairs of tapering wedge tar-es 15. 15, between adjacent off-set ahutinents or shoulders 16 defining the terminations of the adjacent wedge faces. lVedge blocks 12. of the same number, are similarly construct ed. having inclined wedge faces 17 between similar ahutments o1 shoulders 19. and the wedge faces of each set of wedge blocks 11 and 12 respectively, correspond in number and in degree of inclination. Vv'edge blocks 12 are likewise provided with thing-es or heads 19 which extend hat-kwzn'dly and bear against, spring 20 within the cylinder 5, and of well known forniortunetion. lit will he observed that the terminal or endmost wedge faces 15 of blocks 11 and terminal wedge faces 17 of blocks 12. are somewhat shorter thanthe other wedge faces of the series,

the opposing shoulders 16 and 18 when the gear is com pressed, to allow for tree release.

By crmstructin; the wedge hlocks i1 and 12 of segmental shape in cross section. and preferably with the angle laws 15. 15. and 17. 17, oi each pair at rightangles to each other. the oppositely acting blocks intcrlit and closely assemble. each with the other, within the cylinder 5. The interior peripheral si'lrt'ace 21 of the cylinder is tapered and the exterior rounded surfaces of the blocks 11 and 12. whirh (-tl'ert the frictional resistance by contact with the cylinder. are likewise tapered to the some slight degree. The contacting: angle faces 1.? and 1? are oi such a degree. somowl'iat hlunt. to the longitudinal axis of the gear. that they will etlert lateral separation of the opposing blocks, when closed toward each other by eudwisc pressure. The effect. in either butting or pulling. is to thrust the outer blocks 11 in wardly ot' the cylinder and to Force the surface of both blocks 11 and both blocks 12 laterally against the tapered interior of the cylinder, due to the separating action of the wedge t'accs. When the pressure increases sufficiently. or the outer blocks 11 have been sufficiently inserted. the inner hlorks l9 will also he carried inwardly ot' the cylinder.

with increasing frictional resistance against and bear against the front 'tollower" whereby to provide ample clca'ance ietwcen in 'ardly from the trout to a slight dog-rec" "part to the taper of the cylinder and outer faces of the blocks. Duejto the taper of the cylinder also, the expanding tendency of the wedge separated blocks is opposed so that as they together advance inwardly ofthe cylinder the cross area of the space which they advance through is steadily diminished. The effect of this condition is that, after the rounded outer surfaces of the wedge blocks are brought into good frictional contact with the cylinder, and the blocks'have been closed inwardly of each other longitudinally, there is then an opposing elongation of the assembled wedges. This is due tothe final independent movement of wedge block 12 away from block 11 on account. of the necessityof its further collapsing in order to advance Within the diminishing cylinder. This movement, while due also to the action of the wedge faces primarily, is actually in opposition to the first movement of the blocks toward each other. There is therefore an acceleration of movement ,of the ear the component members of the assemb ed wedge blocks advance into the cylinder at varying speeds. It is obfvious that the same relative movements wherein the cylinder is occur in pulling,

ront follower plate 14- by drawn toward yoke 3.

By the construction as above described, there is provided series of clearance spaces 22 between the opposing shoulders 16 and 18 and spaces 23 between the ends-of blocks .11 and 12-and the head 19 and 13 respectively of said blocks. Spaces 23 admit of ample relative movement of either block toward the other, while spaces 22 allow of longitudinal separation of the blocks to effect collapsing after release of pressure.

V The opposing shoulders 16- and 17 also effect a longitudinal interlock whereby the wedge blocks are, closely assembled in a compact unit. As shown, the adjacent heads 13 and 19 are spaced apart" in normal position, as

at 24, to a low of inward movement of the individua members of each pair of wedges.-

The openationwill be readily understood from the foregoing. description.

The entire device is very simple and of few parts, and in practice it has developed a high degree of resistance.

It will be understood that the number of the wedges, the angle of their faces, and their arrangement with relation to the other parts may be changed or varied by the skilled mechanic to suit varying conditions of use, but all such changes are to be considered as within the following claims.

\Vhat I claim is I 1. In a friction draft gear, the combination with the casing and the relatively movable draw bar; of co-acting sets of friction blocks having interior opposed contacting wedge faces and exterior friction faces engaging the interior of the casing. travel in inner blocks 12 inaddition 'to the movement imparted by, the mere binding of the wedge faces, per-.86, 'so that in an entire 2. In a friction draft gear, the combination with a casing and draw bar relatively movable one to the other, of assembled sets of co-acting pairs of friction blocks having interior opposed contacting wedge faces, and exterior friction faces engaging the interior of the casing, substantially as set forth.

JOHN F. COURSON.

lVitnesses:

C. M. GLARKE,

LEPLEY.

CHAS. 

